Football: Homecoming loss mars Dibilio’s mark

Saturday’s homecoming football game featured two offenses that were as different as possible. Led by running back Chuck Dibilio, who became the first Ivy League freshman ever to run for 1,000 yards, Princeton (1-8 overall, 1-5 Ivy League) wore down the Yale defense with a relentless rushing attack. But Patrick Witt and the visitors’ passing assault trumped the Tigers’ ground game, giving the Bulldogs (5-4, 4-2) a 33-24 victory.

In front of 10,001 fans — the first five-figure attendance at Princeton Stadium since October 2009 — Dibilio continued his stellar season, rushing for a season-high 178 yards and becoming the first Tiger in nearly a decade to score three touchdowns on the ground. Dibilio took a direct snap from the Yale 19-yard line in the first quarter, raced around the left edge of the line and then cut back to the middle of the field, trotting to the end zone to give the hosts a 7-3 lead.

“Obviously, it’s really exciting, and not something I thought would happen coming in,” Dibilio said of his 1,000-yard milestone. “I’m very happy to have accomplished that, but it would have been that much greater if we got the [win].”

But Witt was great as well, torching the Tigers’ defense for 379 yards and throwing only seven incompletions among his 33 attempts, two of which were dropped by receivers. The third-year starter, who is also a Rhodes Scholar finalist, broke the Yale program record for career passing yards early in Saturday’s game.

On third down late in the first quarter, Witt threw a pass that looked like a deep completion to wide receiver Jackson Liguori. But the ball bounced off Liguori’s chest and over his head, falling straight into the hands of teammate Cameron Sandquist, also a wide receiver, who caught it in stride and continued for a 59-yard score.

Later in the half, Witt found running back Deon Randall isolated in coverage and threw towards the end zone. Randall came back for the underthrown ball and fought through sophomore cornerback Trocon Davis to make a highlight-reel diving catch, a 28-yard touchdown that extended the visitors’ lead to 17-7.

Senior quarterback Tommy Wornham played all but one series under center, as freshman Quinn Epperly — who had shared a larger role in the last three weeks — was sacked once and threw one incompletion in three plays. But though Wornham added value with his legs, running for 64 yards in 10 attempts, his arm did not provide a strong alternative to the Tigers’ ground attack, as the veteran completed just nine of 25 passes for 49 yards.

“We have to be better in the pass game. Obviously, that’s going to be a strong focus,” head coach Bob Surace ’90 said. “It has to be within from personnel, it has to be from recruiting ... we’re going to get that part fixed.”

Yale’s offense was also one-dimensional. Aside from a 62-yard touchdown by tailback Alex Thomas, the Bulldogs gained only 59 yards on 39 carries. But despite an active front seven — led by junior lineman Caraun Reid, who had two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss — the Tigers’ defense could not contain Witt and the visitors’ receivers.

“I was on our corners and our secondary during the game to go let loose and make plays,” Surace said. “They’re playing too cautious, too not-to-lose.”

Dibilio’s six-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave him 1,002 yards for the season and cut the lead to 30-24. Tasked with making one stop to stay in striking range, however, the Tigers’ defense failed, allowing Yale to run off six minutes and 18 seconds with a 15-play drive, including a 21-yard play-action pass on a critical fourth-down attempt. Philippe Panico ended the series with a 27-yard field goal, extending the lead to nine points with three minutes to play and effectively ending the game.

Led by Dibilio, the Tigers have a young offensive core that should serve them well in the future — Surace said that the team had six freshmen on the field for some plays on Saturday afternoon. But patience is hard to come by for a program that has won only two of 19 games in the last two seasons.

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“I think if we were playing freshman football, the record of the freshman football coach would look pretty good,” Surace said, referencing the pre-1993 years when Ivy League freshmen were forced to play on separate teams. “But we’re not; it’s varsity, and they’ll get better.”

Senior kicker Patrick Jacob’s last field goal attempt at Princeton Stadium was a good one — a 47-yarder as time expired in the first half. The boot was the longest of Jacob’s career by three yards. Senior linebacker and co-captain Steve Cody had a tougher end to his home playing career, as he suffered a shoulder injury in the game and was not cleared to return after halftime.

The Tigers have only one more chance to avoid a second consecutive 1-9 season, matching the worst overall record in program history, traveling to Dartmouth next week.